Words Left Unsaid
by Alydia Rackham
Summary: This is a missing chapter from Episode III, taking place aboard Padme's ship as ObiWan struggles to save her life.
1. Chapter 1

Words Left Unsaid

Being an Additional, Fulfilling Chapter According to the Events of

Star Wars: Episode III

_(Beginning upon the planet of Mustafar after the fateful duel)_

_VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV_

"I HATE YOU!" The cutting, vengeful cry tore from the body of the maimed youth like thunder, and in his flashing eyes blazed the very thing he professed. Its horrible power rolled across the torn, desolate land, plunging deeper than a knife, more poisonous than death. And then came the answer; not filled with wrath or triumph, not gloating, satisfied or even relieved. Instead, the soft, sorrowful cry betrayed exactly the opposite, the one thing in the galaxy that was more powerful than hate.

"You were my _brother_, Anakin," Obi-Wan Kenobi wept. "I loved you."

Anakin simply roared in delirious fury, clawing at the volcanic earth with his single remaining limb; the mechanical arm that replaced the one Count Dooku had cut off. But Obi-Wan---Obi-Wan had, just mere moments ago, with a single stroke of his sapphire lightsaber, removed both of Anakin's legs and his other arm. As soon as he had done it, Obi-Wan screwed his eyes closed and felt as if he might be sick. His heart churning utter torment, he had staggered backward, hardly in control of his legs. And now, from barely twenty feet away, the former mentor could do nothing but stand there, staring in blank horror at the monster he used to call his friend.

And then Anakin caught on fire. In an eyeblink, the flames consumed him, and he began to scream. Something within Obi-Wan finally snapped. He could not be here for one more instant.

With a slightly shaking hand, his vision blurred, he reached down and managed to take up Anakin's lightsaber. Anakin's wailing escalated, driving Obi-Wan away with its grating, terrible tones. Obi-Wan turned and, step by agonizing step, began to walk away---then he started to run.

When he was far enough that the sound of falling lava drowned out Anakin's cries, Obi-Wan slowed to a weary halt near a small cave. Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against the cool, black stone. His breathing quickened and, finally, tears came. Weakly, he turned around and allowed the rock to bear some of his weight, but his heart was so heavy that he could not stand. He slid down and sat heavily on the rocky earth. His head hung back and his face turned up toward the sky. His eyes drifted closed again and the tears ran down as his soul cried out silently in the deep but dignified anguish of a Jedi master.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

For what seemed like an eternity, Obi-Wan Kenobi could not think or feel. He simply sat there in shock, staring up at the clouded sky tinted red from the upheaval that was happening below.

But then he blinked, though he knew not why, and came slightly back to reality. His old battle instincts, stubbornly present, reminded him that it was not safe to sit here, unguarded.

Reluctant and tired, he forced himself to his feet and left the cave. He trudged on and on, back toward the landing platform where all this had begun. At last, his breath coming in rasps from the foul air, he climbed a small knoll and spotted Senator Amidala's ship, the shining metal glinting in the hellish light. As he stood upon this hill, catching his breath, the hot wind blew his hair and dried his sweaty brow.

At the sight of the senator's ship, Obi-Wan's heart squeezed and his senses rushed back to him as he remembered the dark scene that had occurred near it.

Upon landing on Mustafar, Obi-Wan had descended the ramp of the ship to be stricken by the sight of Anakin strangling Padme so tightly that he had nearly lifted her off her feet. Then she had collapsed like a rag doll and remained dreadfully motionless. Obi-Wan had commanded Anakin to release her, but Obi-Wan had gotten the feeling that Anakin had only done so because trying to split his concentration between killing Padme and killing Obi-Wan would have been too difficult.

_Killing Padme_...

That was the action that had, at last, rocked Obi-Wan to his foundations. He had known for years how much Anakin had loved Padme---but in that moment of reckless passion, Anakin had been trying to murder her and her babies because she stood in his way. It was absolutely inconceivable.

Verbally, Obi-Wan had then fenced with Anakin, trying to gather his own senses, control his own fears and attempt to take advantage of Anakin's senseless rage in order to protect Padme. He had also been struggling desperately to conjure up a way of saving his former apprentice. He simply would not believe that his friend could be so easily deceived and lost.

Obi-Wan had maneuvered Anakin directly away from the fallen senator, and then, when Anakin arrogantly turned his back on Obi-Wan to further rant and accuse, the Jedi master had reached down to the pallid young woman and put his fingertips to her throat to see if she still lived.

He was touched by slight relief as he felt her pulse, but it had been flickering. The possibility of her death brought his anxiety back full-force. If she died...he would feel utterly responsible.

Battle between the master and apprentice had soon ensued. It was a terrible fight, one that should never have occurred, one that defied all logic and need---and it had ended down there on the obsidian rocks by the banks of burning magma.

Obi-Wan recalled all this in the blink of an eye as he stood within sight of Padme's ship. Taking a deep, preparatory breath, he clawed the rest of the way up the rocky, searing hill to the landing platform. His clothes torn and dirty, his hands bloodied, he finally made it to the top and dragged himself to his feet---to see that Padme was not there. The platform was empty, save for the ship. Obi-Wan jerked in consternation.

"Master Kenobi! Master Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan turned to see Padme's shining golden droid, C-3P0, clattering worriedly down the open ramp.

"Artoo and I got her on board the ship, sir. Hurry!" the droid urged. "She isn't doing well."

Obi-Wan stood still for just one moment, closing his eyes briefly and composing himself, then nodded and moved up the ramp. He paused for just a moment to place an understanding hand on Threepio's shoulder, though why he was comforting a droid he was not quite certain. Perhaps he simply needed to distract himself from the tumult in his own heart.

Swiftly, Obi-Wan then moved aft to where the bunking area was. Breathing evenly again, he pressed the door release and entered. As every hold in any Naboo ship, the room was white, clean and functional, with a hint of softness and artfulness. On a bed to his right lay Senator Amidala, dressed in a practical, sleeveless, maternity jumpsuit, her dark hair done elegantly but simply. However, her beautiful face was very pale, her eyes were closed and her brow was furrowed in distant pain.

Obi-Wan stopped for a moment on the threshold, then moved to her slowly, reaching out a hand to rest it on her bare shoulder. Her eyelids flickered and she opened them, though the light seemed to hurt her. She tensed at first, as if afraid of the Jedi uniform. But then she saw his face and sighed audibly.

"Obi-Wan," she breathed. "Is...Is Anakin all right?"

Pain shot through Obi-Wan and he could not answer her. However, there was not a need yet, for she seemed fevered and would not have heard him. Instead, he slowly stroked the back of his fingers down her soft cheek, allowing the Force to flow through him and soothe her. She turned her head toward his touch, then sighed deeply and appeared to sleep. Obi-Wan hung his head.

And then he felt it.

It nearly rocked him back on his heels and he stiffened like a board. For a heartbeat, he could not understand what it was. It roared through him like a hurricane-force gust of wind---followed by a silence and a void deeper than space. Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut and simply stood there, fighting to absorb his pain and let it go, as the Jedi masters had taught him in his youth. But his chest constricted and his muscles clenched as if he had just been punched in the gut. It was too hard to breathe.

He gasped roughly, and tears burned his eyes.

Anakin Skywalker had just died.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The ship had never powered down, so it was a simple task to flip it back into gear, initiate the repulsorlifts and take off from this wicked planet. Threepio sat in the copilot's chair, chattering away fussily, doubtlessly about Padme, but Obi-Wan did not hear him. He closed his eyes, facing the viewport, and covered his face with one hand, endlessly weary. His mind and body were numb.

Then Threepio's tone changed and became slightly sharper, calling Obi-Wan out of his daze.

"Look, sir. I say, look at that ship! Why would a Star Destroyer of that size be all the way out here?"

"Star Destroyer?" Obi-Wan repeated dully, peering out the front viewport. Then his eyes widened slightly and his mind sharpened as he glanced down at the sensors. "By the Force, there isn't just one of them. There are four. No...no, no, five. They've...They've surrounded the planet and..." Obi-Wan trailed off as a mountain of blackest shadow suddenly loomed over his soul. He lifted his head and tightened his jaw.

"The Emperor is here," he murmured.

"The Emperor! Oh dear, oh dear!" Threepio cried.

"Quiet," Obi-Wan snapped. "Strap yourself in."

"You're going to fight them, sir?" Threepio cried, aghast.

"No," Obi-Wan grunted, buckling his harnesses. "Not today." Taking hold of the controls, which were not so unfamiliar, he drew upon the living Force and reached out into space, flying the ship in a direct path out past the smog-filled atmosphere.

He sensed them as soon as the monitors did: asteroids. Several of them ringed the planet, and there was one particularly large one near their trajectory that looked promising.

Obi-Wan gunned the engines, thankful for the raw power beneath the hull of this Nubian ship, and hoped against all hope that, for once, the enemy would not take notice of them.

Threepio moaned and complained and gasped the entire time, exclaiming that the Imperials were closing in and that they were going to be spotted any second---but then, that elusive gift of luck that Obi-Wan had never believed in was finally granted to him. For some reason, the Imperials were momentarily distracted from the space around them, and did not give a second glance, if even a first glance, to the little Naboo cruiser flitting off into the small asteroid field. Not yet, anyway. Obi-Wan knew that they soon would. He did not have much time.

The Jedi aimed stalwartly for the large asteroid, which soon loomed in their viewport.

"This is suicide!" Threepio yelped.

"Quiet," Obi-Wan said again, expertly maneuvering the ship into a cavernous crater. Swiftly, he flipped a few switches that attached the ship to the surface of this rock, for the asteroid did not have enough gravity to hold them there. With Jedi quickness, Obi-Wan began shutting everything down that was not essential to life, in order to avoid the sensory sweeps that the destroyers would run as a matter of routine, if nothing else.

After several minutes of clicking and beeping, the cockpit began to darken, the engines slowed and quieted, and even Threepio requested to shut down for a while so that he could "process new data." When the golden lights behind Threepio's eyes went out and the droid became still, it was utterly dark in the cockpit except for the emergency lighting on the floor near the threshold. The only sound was the nearly silent hum of the life support systems.

Sighing, Obi-Wan sank down into the pilot's seat, only then realizing that he had wounds in several places that were quite painful, and bleeding. Wincing, he decided to take care of them later and leaned back to try and rest.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Sleep would not come. The throbbing, consuming grief of Anakin's fall and death pulsed through his very blood; a dull, almost background constant, like the beating of his heart. His mind could not process how it had come to pass. Every time he wearily tried another past path, another afore-missed possibility, he would come to a dead end. He rubbed his eyes. At the moment, he could not think of _anything_ that he personally could have done differently to change Anakin's fate. But that did not ease the pain. Not in the slightest.

What was it? Where had Anakin gone wrong? What was it that had driven him to this madness, this rash of murders, this lust for control? Obi-Wan sighed deeply, leaning back and trying to recall through the fog in his brain. During his padawanship, this had always been given to him as the best advice: _review_. If reviewing the current situation did not help, then review _past _situations that had similar characteristics. The best one he could come up with at the moment was Qui-Gon Jinn's former apprentice, Xanatos, who had gone to the dark side and then attempted several ruthless plots against his master before coming to his end. When meeting his former master in combat, Xanatos would always seem to give a reason as to _why _he was attacking; as if he could not help saying it; as if it was one last rationalization for the evil he was about to commit. Obi-Wan slowly breathed out. That verbal, final-cry explanation was not unique to Xanatos. Obi-Wan had seen it, and heard of it happening that way numerous other times. Perhaps Anakin had given a similar clue sometime before or during their terrible duel.

Bravely, Obi-Wan took a deep breath that he fought to steady, closed his eyes and used a Jedi technique to remember exactly what Anakin had said when Obi-Wan descended the ramp of the senator's ship.

"_You're with __**him?**_**" **Anakin had roared at Padme. "_You brought him here to kill me! He's turned you against me!"_

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed as the Force allowed him to skip some of the dialogue, and it finally caused him to center on two more of Anakin's wrathful phrases:

"_You've turned her against me!"_ he had shouted at Obi-Wan._ "You will not take her from me!"_

Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open. A strange, eerie, completely unfamiliar feeling crept into his gut. His eyebrows drew together.

"Padme?" he whispered, with a hint of disbelief. Confusion welled up within him again. What was clear was that, for some hidden reason, Anakin had feared to lose Padme, and apparently had wished to gain more power, initially in order to protect her. But what was _not _clear was why in the _worlds_ Anakin was accusing _Obi-Wan _of taking Padme from him!

_What would ever lead Anakin to think that?_

Suddenly, one of the wounds in Obi-Wan's leg gave a violent stab of pain. He winced and hissed through his teeth.

"I must see to this." he gritted, and moved to stand to get some bandages.


	2. Chapter 2

Padme had drifted in and out of consciousness for hours now. Sometimes, she saw swimming images of the white room around her, or a distorted version of Threepio that spoke unintelligibly. Her clearest perception had briefly been Obi-Wan, reaching down and touching her face. His fingertips had brought instant soothing to her traumatized body, and she had wanted him to remain, but he had drifted away and soon she was in a mire.

A mire that was quickly filling with the stuff of nightmares.

A planet heaving up its innards; and choking, black smoke blasting into the air.

Lightning and thunder and a sound like cloth ripping within her own heart.

The faces of weeping men, women and children whose doom, she knew, had already come.

The faces of others who were yet to die.

This continued for a good many hours. Though these images were frightening, sorrowful and bewildering, Padme's heart did not start to pound until _he _came.

He was a phantasm, a wraith, a creature of the night. He stood tall and imposing, his shoulders broad and his bearing filled with wicked strength. He drew near to her. She could not move to run away. She was frozen in place. He towered over her, higher and higher. His face was shadowed and she could not distinguish who he was. The power of his presence nearly stopped her pulse in her veins.

"YOU HAVE TURNED AGAINST ME!" he thundered. _"YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME!_"

And then his face was illuminated in the glow of the lava...and it was Anakin.

Never had Padme Naberrie been so utterly terrified in her entire life.

"No!" she cried, trying with all her might to recoil but being unable. "Get away from me! No! No, no, please!"

Her cries turned to wailing as he cruelly shook his head, his eyes filled with fire. He lifted a hand, black as midnight, and gazed at her with a glare that could have leveled mountains. Then he swiftly closed his hand into a fist. Padme's throat closed. Her head was thrown back and her windpipe nearly crushed. Her hands flew to her neck but there was nothing to pull against, nothing to pry away. Tears streamed down her face and she continued to sob, begging him to leave her alone. The babies inside her thrashed and kicked in panic. Then, with her last remaining strength and breath, she cried out for help; cried out to the one person she knew who could possibly save her.

"_Obi-Wan!"_

The strangled, sobbing shriek came from the aft cabin. Obi-Wan dropped the bandage he was wrapping around his leg and raced back there as quickly as he could, his heart suddenly hammering in his ears, his adrenaline rushing. He burst into the senator's cabin, his eyes darting about for some dangerous stowaway, some hidden droids that had sprung a trap, or one or two of those treacherous clones. Instead, he only saw an empty, dark room, and Padme thrashing about on her bed, both hands clawing at her throat.

He hurried toward her, grabbing her hands and holding them tightly.

"Padme. Padme, Padme!" he said louder. That was not working, so he reached down and shook her shoulder with one hand, then firmly ran his fingers across her forehead and over her hair, reaching out through the Force. It was then that Obi-Wan noticed that the dark side had filled this room. Whatever was happening to Padme, she was not having a normal nightmare. As he watched, she still appeared to be strangling. He closed his eyes and reached deep into the Force, into Padme's mind.

_There Obi-Wan stood, on the platform on Mustafar. Only this time, Anakin was perhaps eight feet tall, his black cape swirling around him like a thunderhead, his eyes red as coals. His right hand was gripping Padme's neck tightly, and he was squeezing. Her hands were not up by her throat anymore, but were pinned down against her chest. In one moment, as Obi-Wan looked, he could see that, even if this monstrosity resembled Anakin, it was not him. It was simply horror, fear...and death. And he was taking Padme. _

_Obi-Wan did not hesitate. Relying on the living Force, he raced forward and, taking the evil one by surprise, he grasped the dark hand with both of his and, with all his might, pried it free of Padme's throat. The phantom of Anakin lazily withdrew. Padme went limp and began to fall. Bending slightly, Obi-Wan caught her._

"Gahh!" Padme gasped, sucking in air laboriously. Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open. Once

again he was in the darkened, cool aft cabin aboard the Naboo cruiser. His right hand was holding both of Padme's down against her chest. With some effort, he glanced up to see how Padme was, and discovered that her face now twisted with fearful weeping. She was also trembling wildly.

"Obi-Wan..." she whimpered. "My...my babies!..He...he tried to..."

"Sshhh," Obi-Wan tried to soothe, letting her hands loose. Instantly, she shakily reached up and grabbed the shoulder of his tunic in a hard grip.

"Anakin was killing me!" she sobbed, though her voice was quiet, for her dread remained. She shook and trembled so, and choked and spoke broken sentences of such terrible meaning, that Obi-Wan gathered her more closely to him, sliding his arm under her head. Her face remained strained and she leaned her face into his tunic, gasping and quivering weakly.

"He'll come back," she breathed. "He'll come for me and he'll kill my babies. What...what can I...where can I go? He'll find me!"

"No he won't," Obi-Wan said evenly. Apparently, the assurance with which he said this stirred Padme, and she moved back to look up at him. He was sure she could not discern much in this dim light, but her brow furrowed as she tried to study him.

"What...What do you mean?" she shivered. Obi-Wan swallowed hard and glanced down.

"He's dead." He lifted his head to see her reaction, though he halfway wanted to leave the room immediately. However, she had simply gone still and quiet.

"The fire took him," Obi-Wan added, feeling the weight of the silence. "I...I did not...I did not kill him."

Padme's gaze drifted away into the distance. Carefully, Obi-Wan took his arm out from under her head, then rose slowly to his feet.

"You look thirsty. Would you like me to bring you something to drink?" he murmured halfheartedly. She did not answer for a moment.

"Yes," she whispered. Obi-Wan then turned and fled the room, though he kept his pace slow so as not to alarm Padme further.

Obi-Wan stood in the galley, leaning both of his hands against the stainless counter and hanging his head. He felt as if he had just fought another battle. Questions were piling up on top of questions, now. The first was: why did Anakin suspect Obi-Wan of taking Padme? The second was: what exactly did "taking" mean? The third was this: what was that dream Padme had experienced, and why did it seem as though her life was actually in danger in that vision?

Obi-Wan shook his head and blew out a breath. He did not know.

"Excuse me, sir," a prim voice came from the door. "Are you looking for something?"

Obi-Wan lifted his eyes to see Threepio standing there worriedly.

"Could you prepare two cold drinks of water, please?" Obi-Wan requested, easing down into a kitchen chair and rubbing his eyes.

"Certainly, sir," Threepio complied. Within a few minutes, Threepio held out a tray with two drinks atop it. Obi-Wan rose and took it from the droid, offering a weary "thank you."

"I'll go power down in the cockpit, sir, if you don't mind," Threepio informed him. Obi-Wan merely grunted. As he left the galley and headed back to the cabins, Obi-Wan felt strangely weak, but that did not surprise him after all he had gone through. He shoved his frailty out of his mind and continued down the hall. Using the Force, he opened the door, though it took more concentration than it should have. There was a small table in the room, so he set the tray down on the table and dragged the whole thing over to Padme's bedside. He also slid a chair to sit on. Reaching up, he activated a small, glowing light over Padme's head that was probably meant for reading. He then stopped moving, his arm still outstretched, as he beheld the woman lying there.

Her face was turned away from him, and slow tears trickled down her nose and cheeks.

"Padme," he said quietly. She jerked, screwing her eyes shut. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"I...I can't believe it," she choked, though her voice was muffled. "How...How _could _I?"

"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan sat down in the chair and scooted it close to her bedside. She did not answer for the longest time. He thought perhaps she had not heard him. Then, slowly, she turned her head to face him, lowered her hand a fraction, and revealed the horror clearly in her eyes.

"I'm glad Anakin is dead," she said, hushed, as if she had spoken the name of a demon. Then her brows drew together in an expression of sharpest pain and she gasped. "How can that be?" she suddenly wailed, openly sobbing. "I loved him! I loved him and I'm glad he's dead!" Her shivering began again. "How could I even think that? How could I...how could I possibly...possibly feel _relief_ when you told me that he'd been...that he'd been _burned alive?_"

Obi-Wan gazed at her sympathetically, not knowing what to say. He hung his head, taking deep, difficult breaths, then finally confessed as well.

"So am I."

Padme quieted. Obi-Wan lifted his head a fraction to see her pained eyes staring at him.

"I don't understand," she whispered, and Obi-Wan could tell that she was implying far more than just this situation. Struggling internally, Obi-Wan fought to come up with the right words.

"Padme...He was...He was lost," Obi-Wan began. "He killed every Jedi in the Temple...just as I told you. Even the children and babies. Then, he would have killed me...and you." He glanced at her and slowly shook his head. "He may have physically died mere hours ago...but the Anakin Skywalker that both you and I knew and loved...well," Obi-Wan fought not to tremble and sighed in resignation. "He died the moment he set his lightsaber against another Jedi. If 'he' had lived...why, he would be no different than the Sith lord who killed Qui-Gon. Just an executioner for the Emperor." Obi-Wan's voice quieted. "So yes, Padme. It is in fact _logical_ and...and _right _that you would be relieved that he is dead...though the loss will scar us both."

There was a long silence----though he had not done so, Obi-Wan felt as if he had lied. Both of their gazes were distant, though Obi-Wan stared at the sterile floor and Padme up at the ceiling. But then Padme stirred, and turned more toward him.

"Obi-Wan," she said, her voice taking on some strength and concern. He looked up.

"What?"

"Come here," she commanded, stretching out her hand. Uncertainly, he held out his hand, but she grabbed his tunic sleeve and pulled him in closer.

"Padme, what—" he started and tried to pull away as she reached up and put her palm to his face.

"Quiet," she told him, much as he had silenced Threepio earlier. "Come here, I said." Obediently, Obi-Wan stilled and let her touch him. Padme's brow was furrowed in concentration as her hand moved from his cheek to his forehead, then reached around and felt his ear. He was just about to ask her again what she was doing when her eyes flashed in concern.

"You have a fever."

Obi-Wan sat up straighter, and she dropped her hand. Obi-Wan swiped at his forehead and found sweat on his hand. Becoming slightly alarmed, he studied Padme---to see that perspiration had beaded up upon her forehead as well.

"It looks like you do, too," he observed. "Let me get a thermometer." He stood up quickly---and swooned. He staggered sideways with dizziness, his hand flying up to his eyes, and struck his shin against the side of the bed. Nearly falling down, he felt two hands grab him, steady him, and ease him down to sit on the bedside. He blinked repeatedly and the spinning sensation passed. Cautiously, he lowered his hand and glanced around. Absently, he noticed that Padme had sat up and was very near him, her left hand on his back, her other gripping his right elbow.

"Are you all right?" she asked, but her voice sounded slightly slurred. He shook his head to clear it.

"I...I'm not sure," he admitted. "I feel...sick."

Padme nodded, as if she understood.

"Here. Let me get the thermometer."

"Padme—" Obi-Wan tried to stop her.

"Don't worry," Padme smiled slightly. "I'm not going to shoot to my feet like you did."

Carefully, she swung her legs around, keeping one hand on his shoulder and another over her pregnant belly. Leaning on Obi-Wan, she slowly got to her feet and made her ginger way across the floor toward the medical kit. Obi-Wan followed her progress apprehensively, for she appeared unsteady, but then he realized that if he stood up right now he might lose consciousness. Worry began to escalate within him. What was going on? How could he and Padme both be feeling ill?

With shaking hands, Padme found the right compartment and opened it. She lifted out three cases and set them down on the desk in the corner that had a computer on it as well. She flipped the latches and opened the largest case. Finding the thermometer and one other instrument, she warily made her way back toward the bed. She sat down rather heavily next to Obi-Wan, her breathing a bit labored. She placed the extraneous device down beside her, then unfolded the wire on the thermometer. It had a small mouth piece with a plastic cover that one could remove for sanitation. This was connected to the wires, which hooked up to a small, hand-held device that would give the reading. As if she had done this before, Padme pushed the mouthpiece in past her lips and held it there, then turned the device on. In half a second, the screen on the device read: _100 degrees Fahrenheit_. It then showed that it was processing more data; doubtlessly running a test on her saliva. It then read: _Blood test recommended._

"That's what I thought," Padme muttered as she took the mouthpiece out. She then removed the plastic covering on the mouthpiece, revealing a new covering, and handed the thermometer to Obi-Wan. Sighing in resignation, he stuck it in his mouth. A moment later, the screen read: _102 degrees Fahrenheit. _It waited another few seconds, then said: _Blood test recommended._ Obi-Wan removed the mouth piece and the cover.

"Both of us are running very high temperatures for adults," Padme mused. She then set the thermometer down and picked up the other device, which turned out to be a blood sampler. Obi-Wan tried not to make a face. He hated those things.

"Give me your hand," Padme ordered.

"Padme..." Obi-Wan tried to object.

"Do it," she snapped. "You can't do it to yourself, and I'm starting to feel dizzy."

Reluctantly, Obi-Wan held out his right hand and uncurled his fingers. Padme took it and slid the device onto his first finger.

"One...two...three," she said, and pressed the button. A needle jabbed Obi-Wan's finger. He was prepared for it, so he did not jerk. He felt the machine sample his blood and bandage the small wound. When he withdrew his hand, a soft, small white bandage covered the tip of his finger. He then heard the device switch needles inside.

"All right. My turn." Padme held out the sampler to him. Their eyes met.

"Hurry, Obi-Wan," she said faintly. "I need to rest."

Furrowing his brow, he took her pale left hand in both of his. He paused a moment, thoughtful. Her skin was so soft, her fingers so delicate---at that moment the thought of jabbing a needle into one of them seemed more than he could bear.

"Go on," she urged, and her brown eyes smiled understandingly. Bracing himself, wondering why he had to steel himself so, he slid the machine onto her index finger.

"One, two, three," he said, and the sample was taken. Padme did twitch, but she seemed to be so tired...

"I'll take care of the testing." Obi-Wan told her, for his head was considerably clearer now. She just nodded, her face resuming the dully pained expression. She pulled her legs up and leaned over to lie down again, and her eyes closed. Turning to face the room, Obi-Wan grasped the blood sampler, braced himself and rose gradually to his feet. The dizziness did not return, but he felt slightly nauseated. Though it took great effort, he finally collapsed down into the chair in front of the computer and found the switch to power it up.

It seemed to take forever, but finally it was ready to go. Remembering that he had done this several times before to take midichlorian counts, Obi-Wan slid the entire sampler into the appropriate slot on the computer and worked through the correct medical program, though sometimes he had to pause and blink several times to clear his vision.

At last, the final screen appeared, which read:

_Analyzing blood samples. Please wait. An alarm will sound when analysis is complete._

Sighing, Obi-Wan leaned back and rubbed his face. He noticed that he was feeling hot for a minute or two, and then freezing cold. He was also still sweating, and his weakness was becoming so that he could hardly lift his arms. What was wrong with him, with Padme?

He heard a soft noise, one that he did not recognize, and he turned slightly. It was Padme shivering. She was curled up in a tight ball, her arms wrapped around her abdomen. As quickly as he could, Obi-Wan stood up and made his way over to the many compartments. After opening three or four, which contained food, water, tools and other such objects, he came across one which held bedding. Reaching up, he pulled out a thick, soft blanket and carried it back over to Padme. However, all this motion wore him out, and he eased onto his knees by the bed. He did manage to unfold the blanket, though, and covered Padme's slender body with it. He tucked it up around her shoulders, then found he could not hold his head up anymore. Feeling feeble beyond belief, he put his arm up on the side of the bed and rested his brow on his forearm and lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Padme awakened almost in the manner of a ship being drawn out of a fog. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself covered in a thick blanket; a blanket that her mother had made for her when Padme was small. Tears sprang to Padme's eyes at the familiar, home-like feelings that the weave and feel and smell of this blanket brought back. How she missed her family, her mother and father and sister! How she missed her house, the large, airy rooms, comfortable chairs and brightly burning fireplace. Altogether, she sorely missed Naboo; its beautiful waterfalls and sky-scraping mountains and spreading, green meadows.

Her eyes slowly cleared. Obi-Wan was seated beside the bed, his head resting on his arm, his eyes closed. Absently, a soft, thoughtful smile crossed her face. She remembered being dreadfully cold, and then warmth had been spread over her, secured by gentle hands. Obi-Wan must have covered her up.

Then she heard the reason she had awakened. There was an insistent beeping coming from the computer.

"Obi-Wan," she whispered, reaching out and squeezing his hand to get him to wake up. "Obi-Wan, the computer is beeping," she said louder. His brow furrowed, he took a deep breath, and then lifted his head. He took a moment to completely awaken, and then he swallowed and nodded.

"The...The blood analysis is done," he grunted, and moved to get up. However, he seemed to have difficulty, so Padme sat up as well, swung her legs over and helped him rise.

"You should rest," Obi-Wan objected.

"We both need to rest," Padme answered. "Unfortunately, we can't, or we might sleep our way into our graves."

He only nodded again, and the two of them shuffled across the floor and sank down into the chairs by the computer. Obi-Wan hit a button on the keyboard, the screen cleared---and then a most disturbing readout met their eyes.

"Infulium poisoning?" Padme whispered. Trying to keep their eyes focused, the two of them read the rest of the analysis.

_**Conclusion: Infulium Poisoning**_

_Infulium is a toxin produced by the reaction of alinfite and nerolium. This reaction can only occur if alinfite and nerolium, extremely rare minerals only found on 2 to three planets, are contained in soil and rocks that are heated to extraordinary temperatures, usually volcanic temperatures. Infulium is a gas that has_

_the faint scent of sulfur, and if it is inhaled for more than ten to fifteen minutes, severe _

_sickness sets in. Symptoms include: muscle weakness, headache, dizziness, drowsiness fever, difficulty with vision, hallucinations, vivid flashbacks, and perhaps nausea. Within twenty-four hours after contraction, the infulium has penetrated into the very systems of the body, and cannot be detected by any medical devices. The symptoms gradually worsen over a period of five to six days, at which time the body begins to shut down, resulting in system failure and death. The signal for system failure is acute cramping in the midsection. Those at greatest risk for poisoning are pregnant women and those under severe stress. In these two cases, the life span is shortened to three to four days. _

As their eyes flew over the readout, then read it over and over again, Obi-Wan felt terror building inside Padme.Terror that he had only sensed in her three times. The first was during the Naboo invasion, and the other...The other was when she had thought that Obi-Wan had been killed in the Empire's treacherous Temple massacre. The third was when she asked Obi-Wan if he was going to kill Anakin, and Obi-Wan had not answered. In all cases, it had been fear for other people who were important to her. Now, he felt her will begin to shake once more. Quickly, he turned to her, to see both hands pressed over her womb. She was shivering and her face was twisted.

"Obi-Wan..." she said, though her voice came out in short, tight, jerking gasps. "My...my babies, Obi-Wan! They...my...my babies! Poisoned...my...they can't...Obi-Wan!" she repeated this over and over, almost senseless in her dread. His heart tearing, Obi-Wan swiftly reached out with both hands, slid his fingers around behind her neck and pressed his thumbs against the sides of her face to focus her attention solely on him.

"Padme," he said earnestly. "Padme listen to me."

She stopped speaking but continued to shake.

"Your babies are going to be fine," he said slowly, firmly, so that she would be sure to hear. "It's going to be all right. Do you understand? Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

She reached up and grabbed his wrists, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"How?" she gritted.

"I'll sit here and do research until I find a cure for this poisoning," he vowed, his voice rising. "If I have to sit here until I _die, _I'll find a way." He managed a small, reassuring smile for her, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. His voice lowered. "All right?"

She nodded, though she gripped his wrists tighter. He looked at her squarely.

"I promise," he whispered.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Padme had been lying down for about three hours now, wrapped tightly in her mother's blanket, watching Obi-Wan's back as he hunched over the computer, trying miserably but dauntlessly to come up with some sort of answer, some clue, some lead. Padme continued to rub her abdomen gently, talking silently to her babies, soothing them. She knew they felt ill as well. They were not moving around much, but were holding tightly to each other.

Deliberately, Padme forced herself to keep breathing. Her fear was nearly suffocating her, and she felt awful. But no worse than the Jedi Master across from her, she was sure.

_Poor Obi-Wan_. She mused as she watched him rub his face for the hundredth time. Then he leaned down, resting his brow on the counter and putting his hand over his eyes. Concern filled Padme and she laboriously got to her feet and moved toward him. Hesitating just a moment, she put out a hand and touched Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

He sat up rather quickly, gasping slightly. She pulled her hand away. Obi-Wan did not look at her. His eyes seemed glazed over.

"Oh, Padme," he managed. "I don't believe I've ever been in this much pain."

Padme sat down on the other chair. Additional fear had entered her at his troubling words, but this time part of her foundations were disturbed. If she were to lose Obi-Wan too...

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"My head..." he his eyes drifted closed and he leaned back against the back rest. "I feel as if I've been shot."

"It's from staring at that computer screen for so long," Padme said softly. But in that moment she realized that her head was starting to pound as well. She leaned forward and put her face in her hands.

"Oh...What are we going to do?" she breathed.

"Excuse me, sir, my lady..."

Padme turned her head, just slightly, and saw Threepio out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, Threepio?" Obi-Wan said hoarsely, for his voice was thick with emotion and pain.

"Artoo and I...Well, we couldn't help but overhear some of your conversation, sir, and even though I insisted that we not trouble you, Artoo has been pestering me so that I finally had to interrupt or he would cause my circuits to overrun."

There was an insistent beeping from behind Threepio.

"All right, all right!" Threepio shuffled out of the way and Artoo quickly rolled in. Before he had even stopped moving, Artoo was projecting a hologram of a large, beautiful planet. Padme blinked and sat up.

"That's...That's Naboo."

A red dot on the hologram appeared, and then the picture zoomed in to focus on a smaller section.

"That's out in the lake country," Padme continued. The picture flickered to show, of all things, a beautiful, long-petaled flower which rather looked like a lily. Padme was confused.

"And that's...that's a labellia, I think."

Artoo whistled encouragingly, then a disc popped out of his drive, as if he was bidding them take it. Padme was closer, so she stretched out and managed to grab it and hand it to Obi-Wan without dropping it from her weakened hands. As quickly as he could, Obi-Wan slid the disc into the drive in the computer. A moment later, a beautiful picture of the labellia appeared, and beside it was a description of it.

_**Native Labellia**_

_Known also as "The Flower of Princes," the Labellia is a very rare flower native to the _

_planet of Naboo. It blooms all year round in the Lake Country on that planet. Its white _

_and pink petals, edged with silver, are very distinctive, and glow in the moonlight. _

"I don't understand." Obi-Wan muttered. Artoo squawked insistently. Padme's eyebrows came together as she studied the screen, and then she spotted an option near the picture.

"Look Obi-Wan. Select the box that says '_uses_.'"

Obi-Wan obeyed. The picture disappeared, as did the other words, and new words replaced them.

_Five thousand years ago, the Lake Country was thickly populated by farmers who tilled _

_the rich ground and provided much of the food for the surrounding region. However, in _

_the year 3466 standard, Mount Tarranon volcanically erupted, destroying many farms _

_but also sending devastating amounts of infulium gas, a deadly poison, into the air. Many _

_thousands became ill, until a few outside scientists entered the region to try and find a _

_cure, and discovered that the pollen of the Native Labellia lily, which grows in the lake country, can be made into an injection which will reverse the infulium poisoning. For more information on creating the antidote, click __**here**_

"It's on Naboo!" Padme sucked in her breath.

"Yes. And we should be able to make it there." Obi-Wan turned to face the droids. "Thank you, you two. You may have just saved our lives." With strength that he had apparently been gathering, Obi-Wan rose to his feet and moved out of the room to the cockpit to set a course for Naboo. Padme, actually daring to smile a little, climbed back into bed, and as the engines roared and the ship lifted off from the asteroid, her heart lifted right with it.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Using the Force, Obi-Wan managed to shut out his pain, exhaustion, and fever for a moment, so that he could pilot the ship and point it in the right direction. His hands were sweaty, and it took longer than it usually did, but he finally shot the ship out into space. The Emperor's destroyers were nowhere to be seen. It took a great deal of effort, but Obi-Wan ran all the proper calculations through the nav computer and finally they were ready to enter hyperspace. Clasping his hand around the levers, he gently pulled them back, watching the countless stars in front of him turn to streaking lines, and then the swirling blue of hyperspace surrounded them.

He swallowed hard but his mouth was dry. Absently, he remembered the drinks that he had brought back for Padme all those ages ago. As strongly as he could, he made his way aft again.

The lights in the large cabin had automatically powered down, for they had not sensed motion in the room. Padme was lying down again, apparently sleeping, and the cups of drink were still sitting on the table. Obi-Wan reached for one of them and took a drink. It was still cold, and revived him somewhat. It felt good to his hot throat. He wondered if Padme was thirsty, but he did not want to wake her. She needed rest. Obi-Wan set the drink back down, but for some reason could not take his gaze from the woman about whom he had been wondering.

_What an angel. _He thought to himself. _A queen of an entire planet when she was fourteen...Queen, only to be invaded, and had to speak to the Republic Senate, then lead an attack against her own castle. Then to have assassination attempts on her life...and then to fall in love with Anakin, become pregnant with his children...then lose him to the dark side and be choked and poisoned nearly to death...and still, she is dauntless. Dauntless...kind...noble...strong and...good-hearted. _A pained expression crossed his face and he drew nearer to her. She did not seem so strong right now, as she lie there wrapped up, sick and almost helpless.

Feeling suddenly the most tired he had ever been in his life, he sighed, sat down and leaned his back against the side of the bed. Closing his eyes, he lay his head back and fell asleep listening to the rumble of the hyperdrive engines. His last thought sent just one shiver of worry through him.

_We will be in hyperspace a day and a night. That should give us just enough time to get there and find it before we die. _

_VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV_

They slept for what must have been close to nine hours. Padme awoke when one of her babies gave a kick. They were getting hungry, but just at the moment, Padme was not sure she could keep anything down. As she opened her eyes, she saw that the room was very dark, save for the screen of the computer which cast a rather dim light over everything. Obi-Wan was asleep, leaning back against the side of her bed. Padme then woke up completely. Obi-Wan looked _terrible. _His face was pouring sweat, his hair was drenched with it, and his face displayed extreme pain. She halfway sat up.

"Obi-Wan?"

He did not answer. He did not even respond. Anxiously, Padme arose, got out of bed and managed to kneel before him. Only thinking twice, she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Kenobi, wake up."

His eyes moved beneath his eyelids. Slowly, they opened, but he did not appear to be able to see very well. Abruptly, he gave a painful, gasping grunt, his eyes screwed shut, and he jerked forward as if he had been punched in the stomach. He continued to moan and hold one hand over his mid section, his breathing labored. Alarm shot through Padme as a phrase from the blood analysis came to mind:

_The signal for system failure is acute cramping in the mid section._

"Oh no," she whispered. "Oh no, oh no." But then she gritted her teeth, clamping down on her fear. She could not do this. She had to concentrate. She had to think.

Hurriedly, pushing all thought of her own discomfort out of her mind, she got to her feet, shoved the blanket out of the way, then knelt back down and grabbed Obi-Wan under the arm.

"Stand up. Stand up, Obi-Wan. You can do it."

Apparently, he heard her, though he hissed through his teeth, and tried to comply. He collapsed back onto the bed, letting out a long, groaning sigh, his entire body tight. Padme seized her mother's blanket and stretched it out over him, much as he had probably done for her, and tucked it up around him. She then knelt down beside him, feeling weaker than ever, but knowing that he was far worse.

For long hours she just sat there, watching him, his face contorted and his body occasionally heaving slightly in spasms of affliction. Once, he gave a loud grunt, which Padme could tell was his effort at restraining a scream. His head lifted and his arms pressed down over his mid section. His teeth gritted. Then suddenly, with a gasp, his tension released and he fell back onto the pillow, new sweat appearing on his forehead. His breathing was heavy. Padme filled with pity and fright.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," she murmured shakily, barely touching his temple with the back of her fingers. "I wish there was something I could do."

In fact, there was something she could do, and once she thought of it, it did not take her long to act. She got some strong painkiller into Obi-Wan's system through an injection, and it did not take long for his muscles to loosen, his face to relax, and his breathing to become steady. Soon it appeared that he was sleeping. So Padme just sat there once more, not daring to leave his side.

Absently, she wondered why she was not feeling the symptoms so severely as he was. Yes, her head ached and she felt slightly nauseated, feverish and very weak, but nothing like this.

_It's because he was so tired. _She thought dimly. _I can't think of a time when he's had a chance to sleep lately. He's been running all over the galaxy, fighting this war, trying to find Anakin...trying to protect _me

"That's your trouble, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said out loud, a small smile in her voice. "You worry too much about other people."

"That's what a Jedi does, I suppose," he breathed. Padme quickly moved her hand away from him, for she had not known he was awake, but she decided to answer.

"Well," she smiled openly now. "I don't think that there's any doubt in this galaxy that you are perhaps the best Jedi that ever lived."

"Hm," he said, which was the most of a chuckle he could manage. "That's...debatable." Then he shook his head minutely, his eyes still closed. "No. I was just...just second best. Anakin was..._Anakin _was the best Jedi that ever lived."

Padme's smile vanished, she swallowed and glanced down.

"But he didn't," she murmured. Now, Obi-Wan's blue eyes did open, and he slowly turned his head toward her.

"Didn't what?" he asked quietly. She met his gaze.

"Care about other people," she said painfully. Obi-Wan studied her face for a moment.

"He did in the beginning, Padme," he assured her. "Especially about you. You know that. But when it mattered most...when he needed to..." he trailed off, then seemed to change his mind and looked away from her. "Never mind."

"What?" she pressed.

"No. It's far too judgmental of me," he answered. Padme hesitated just a moment.

"Please tell me."

Obi-Wan sighed, closed his eyes briefly again, then turned back toward her squarely.

"Because he was a Jedi," he said deliberately, softly, his eyes burning into her. "And because he knew what sort of consequences would follow...if he had _truly_ loved you...he would never have said a _word_."

Padme froze. Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the man before her. He held her gaze steadily. Something had struck her in the chest at his words, something she could not define, but it was something hidden. Finally, she nodded, and, trying to keep her voice measured, she spoke.

"Yes," she acknowledged quietly. "It would have been wise of him...never to say anything at all."

But the more they looked at each other, the more uncertain Padme felt about just exactly who they were talking about.

Time passed, and soon Obi-Wan descended into a deep slumber, almost like a coma, and Padme's anxiety built as she sat in the dark. The ship was so quiet...like a tomb...

_Don't think like that, _She chastised herself. But the more she watched Obi-Wan's face, the more mournful her thoughts became, and her mind returned to another time that she had been aboard a deathly silent Naboo cruiser, and that memory was linked to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

She recalled the very first time she had seen him; he had intimidated her incredibly. His gaze was like lightning, his appearance sharp, handsome, determined, sometimes flashy, and extremely impressive. In contrast, Qui-Gon Jinn's face had held warmth, patience and understanding, but he had been no less imposing in his bearing. On that particular desperate occasion, she had spent a great deal of time with Qui-Gon and Anakin, and very little with Obi-Wan, but they had shared one conversation that Padme had only thought of once or twice in the thirteen years between times:

_Padme was afraid, but she would not show it. She felt like a lost, little girl, not the queen of a planet, but she would not even hint at that, not even with a blink of an eye. She could not, or Sabe's confidence would shake, and the entire charade could come crashing down on them._

_Mere minutes ago, they had been rescued from their Trade Federation captors by the two Jedi, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and his silent, efficient apprentice, whose name she did not know. A bumbling Gungan named Jar Jar Binks had also accompanied them. With expertise and confidence, as if they had done this thousands of times before, the two Jedi freed the Naboo pilots, captured Padme's royal ship, blasted off into space and evaded the blockade that dominated Naboo's spacescape. Now, they were all safely into hyperspace, heading for a planet called Tatooine, where they would hopefully repair their hyperdrive, and continue on to Coruscant to plead with the Republic Senate. _

_At the moment, Padme, masquerading as a handmaiden, had been given the task of cleaning the carbon scoring off of the little Artoo unit that had saved the ship. Earlier, Jar Jar had come in and spoken with her, lightening her mood a bit by simply distracting her. But soon he had departed to explore the rest of the ship, leaving Padme alone. Shortly thereafter, Artoo had powered down to save his energy. _

_The silence in the room was unbearable. The only sound was the soft scraping that her tools made against the metal surface of the droid. But her hands began to ache and she dropped her rag. Closing her eyes and taking a trembling breath, she clasped her hands together in her lap and hung her head. _

_The fear returned full force; in fact, it gained in strength. They had all nearly died a few minutes ago; had nearly been shot into nothingness by Trade Federation cannons. What would have happened to Naboo then? What hope would they have had? Padme squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly, the faces of her family rose up before her. What if she never saw them again? What if they died in this terrible invasion before she could get help? What if they could not find a new hyperdrive for months and months on that desert planet? What if they never found one at all? A terrible idea then dawned on her: even if she was able to get to Coruscant---what if the Senate refused to help? What if they did not believe her? What if they discredited her because of her age and would not come and save her dying planet? _

_She bent over, struggling to even breathe, staring at the floor, straining mightily against her fear but knowing she was losing. She had nothing with which to fight._

_Suddenly, she felt a presence; someone watching her. Cautiously, stiffly, she managed to lift her head and glance aft, to her left. A shadowed figure stood in the doorway there, poised as if he was studying her. Slowly she sat up straight, trying to unclench her fists. He did not move for a moment, then took a few steps forward into the light. It was the Jedi apprentice, his robe flowing like a whisper behind him, his footsteps soft but certain. He stopped a few paces from her. _

"_Are you all right?" he asked seriously, his eyebrows coming together analytically. Padme swallowed. She wanted very much for the mysterious young man to go away. _

"_Yes," she nodded. "I'm fine." _

_He did not act as if he believed her. His head turned slightly sideways and his expression became thoughtful, but no softer. Then he glanced down and cleared his throat, then closed the distance between them, holding out a hand._

"_My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi." _

_Padme did not rise, but dared to reach out and take his hand. It was warm, which somehow surprised her, and his grip was firm but not rough._

"_My name is Padme Naberrie." _

_He nodded and let go of her. She hoped that he would take his leave now, and at first he acted as if he would, but then he paused. Glancing down at the floor, he took a breath._

"_Once, when I was about your age...there was a dark Jedi that was trying to destroy the Temple from within," he began, and Padme was quite thrown. She said nothing but tried to gather herself as he continued._

"_He and another dark Jedi lured a close friend of mine into a trap and were holding her there. When I found out, I was so afraid...I was so afraid that I could not even breathe. I didn't know what to do. I could fight a living enemy, one who stood before me. But I could not fight the fear that was inside me. Then Qui-Gon came and told me something." Obi-Wan lifted his gaze. His eyes penetrated deeply into her. She tried to look away, but it was as if he held her attention with a tractor beam._

"_What did he say?" she found herself asking._

"'_Never fear your feelings. They can guide you if you control them.'"_

_Padme simply swallowed. Something in Obi-Wan's eyes warmed understandingly, but just barely._

"_I told him that I could not control my feelings," he went on. "Qui-Gon said: 'Yes, you can. Do not try to tamp down the fear. Do not let it grip you. If you let it move through you, it will leave you. Breathe.'" _

_Distantly, Padme felt herself follow his advice and take a deep, deep breath. Surprisingly, her muscles seemed to untie themselves from their knots, just a little. But some measure of the uncertainty and anxiety remained. She lifted her head. He was still looking at her, but the scrutiny was gone. _

"_Don't fear, my lady," he said in a hushed voice, but a sure one. "I have sworn to protect you, and I swear now to do all I can to get you to the Senate to plead your case."_

"_You have sworn to protect the Queen," Padme suddenly snapped. "I am a handmaiden, nothing more." _

_The rare, knowing smile he gave her completely disarmed her._

"_Of course," he nodded. _

_And he turned and left the hold. But instead of feeling irked or trapped at his seeing through her disguise so easily, she felt oddly reassured---as if she was not so alone anymore_

Padme blinked. Obi-Wan had not spoken to her again for that entire escapade, not until just after Qui-Gon's funeral. At that point, Obi-Wan was so filled with sorrow that he could hardly lift his eyes. Afterward, he and Anakin had simply vanished from her life. She had been consumed by political work, serving two entire terms as Queen, then being asked by her successor to serve as senator.

But at last, the two had been brought back to her because of an attempt on her life. She now remembered meeting them again after so long. Obi-Wan had seemed polite and friendly but aloof and businesslike. There had been little to no indication that he remembered what he had shared with her aboard the Naboo cruiser ten years earlier. Then she had turned to Anakin, looked into his eyes---and her heart had pounded and leaped up into her throat. She had fought not to show it, but she had been smitten by him instantly.

Padme now shook her head as she sat there in her fever. How foolish of her. How girlish and silly. She had truly fallen in love with Anakin because of what he stood for: the power to work incredible change in the galaxy. She had thought that they had wanted the exact same thing. She had loved him selflessly, but he had loved her _selfishly._ He was a broken weapon, a flawed piece of art...a twisted human being...and had dragged her down a dark and terrible path.

A path Obi-Wan had followed as well, because of Anakin. Between the beginning of the Clone Wars and the Emperor's takeover, Obi-Wan had come to see her occasionally, during the few times that he and Anakin were given breaks from their endless duties. At first, she was not certain why he came. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obi-Wan loved Anakin dearly, like a son, like a _brother_, and at first their conversations were mostly about him. Padme closed her eyes. But then the fateful day finally came...

_Anakin was gone. He had been gone for a long while; perhaps a month and a half---she was not certain. Padme tried to fill her life with work to keep her mind off of how much she missed him. She got up bright and early every morning, dressed and ate the breakfast Threepio fixed for her, then headed to the offices to try and make some sense out of all of the happenings that had occurred during the night. She had been going full speed for at least a week now, working constantly, hardly thinking about herself except to get dressed and eat. _

_This morning, she rose and moved to dress. She pulled off her nightgown, put on her undergarments, then moved to get something out of her closet---and spotted her reflection in the mirror. She froze completely. Her lower stomach was swollen. It was swollen just a bit, but firm. Padme began breathing harder as she felt the area gently. In her heart she instantly knew what had happened, but her mind just would not accept it. In a panic, she threw on loose, casual clothes, ran a comb once or twice through her hair, opened the door, then halted. What was she planning to do? She could not go to a doctor. She could not tell anyone. That would expose Anakin as her husband and the father of children---and then what would she do? She did not dare shame him in front of the entire galaxy like that. She could not bear to be the cause of his expulsion from the Order. Not when they needed him so. _

_Padme stood there, shivering, feeling that same fear rise up within her that had nearly strangled her all those years ago. Never had she felt so alone, so helpless. Never had she needed a true friend more than she did in that moment._

"_Never fear your feelings. They can guide you if you control them."_

_Padme's head jerked up at the sound of the voice. She had heard no one enter. But then a familiar form moved into view. This time, however, his expression and bearing were not scrutinizing, aloof or impressive. Obi-Wan Kenobi's head was slightly lowered, his hands were at his sides, and his eyes were sympathetic. _

"_Do not try to tamp down the fear," he said quietly. "Do not let it grip you. If you let it move through you, it will leave you. Breathe."_

_Padme slapped a hand over her mouth, but that did not stop the sobs from coming. She rushed forward and buried her face in Obi-Wan's chest. It was as if he did not know what to do at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her and lay the side of his face against the top of her head. Doubtlessly, he felt the swell of her abdomen against him. _

"_Obi-Wan..." she gasped, wishing to tell him before he asked. "I'm pregnant," _

"_I know. And you don't have to tell me anything. I understand," he whispered. "But it will be all right, my dear friend. It will be all right. Breathe."_

Padme blinked again. Strange. It was as if she had actually been there. Doubtless, the enhanced detail of these memories had something to do with her illness, but as she could control what she was thinking about, she did not much mind.

She studied the present Obi-Wan once again. He had been an anchor for her on that day, a day when she had needed someone the most. In fact, he had been an anchor for her always. He had never let her down, never failed to protect her. He was perhaps the only constant in her life, besides the love of her mother, father and sister. But even then, her parents and sister had lived half a galaxy away for years and years. They did not even know their daughter had been married. But Obi-Wan---she could _trust _Obi-Wan. Without a shadow of a doubt, Padme could trust him. She was almost certain that Obi-Wan had perceived his friends' secret relationship as soon as all of them were reunited in the execution arena on Geonosis. And yet, all that time, he had said nothing. Padme's gaze sharpened as she stared at him.

_He had said nothing..._

"Excuse me, my lady,"

Padme turned to see Threepio standing there.

"Yes?" she asked, and her voice sounded strangely hoarse.

"We've come out of hyperspace near the planet of Naboo. I can pilot, my lady, but I'll need to know where to land."

"I'll come with you." Padme sighed, and struggled to get up and move to the cockpit.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

They landed in the lake country somewhere around midnight, planetary time. They were in a meadow near some woods, and the sensors showed that there were no inhabitants within fifty miles.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead and feeling cold and feeble, Padme threw a cloak around her shoulders, ordered Threepio to stay with Obi-Wan, and descended the ramp.

The warm, night wind of the lake country blew gently through her hair and clothes, smelling of rich grass, thick woods and blooming flowers. The sights and smells of her home seemed to give her strength, for she was able to walk more steadily and hold up her head.

As soon as she could, she began searching for a labellia. It would be easy to see, for it glowed in the moonlight. But she did not see any in the meadow. She went on, further and further, searching for what may have been an hour. There were none. _None_. Not within the area that she could reach without fear of collapsing with exhaustion.

With her last remaining strength, she ventured toward the darkly shadowed woods, her blurred vision searching, searching...and then she saw a faint gleam of sparkling light. She straightened and stopped moving. There, before her on the ground was a single labellia blossom, resplendent in its living, saving beauty.

Tears spilled down her cheeks but she swiped them away. Reaching carefully down, she pulled up the entire plant by the roots, wanting to make extra certain that she had every part of the plant they would need.

She staggered back toward the ship, feeling physically horrible but spiritually triumphant. Breathing very heavily, she entered the hold where Obi-Wan and the computer were.

"Padme," she heard the murmur. "You...you found it."

She turned and actually grinned at the Jedi on the bed.

"Yes, Kenobi, I _did!_"

He was extremely pale and looked terrible, but he smiled back at her.

"Do you know how—" he began.

"Yes," she replied, sat down in front of the computer and began the program that would tell her how to make the antidote. At one point, it told her to place the blossom in a tray, and so she broke off the blossom, placed it in the tray, and the computer swallowed it. After a few moments, the screen said:

_Antidote amount: enough to cure one and a half adults, or one adult and one to two small children._

Padme ceased breathing. She just stared at the screen, unable to believe her eyes.

"What?" Obi-Wan demanded, sudden strength in his tone. It took a while for Padme to be able to speak, but when she could her voice was soft.

"It says that there's only enough for one and a half adults...or one adult and one to two small children."

"Aren't there any more flowers outside?"

"Let me check quickly," Padme said breathlessly. Using the computer, she ran a scan of the surrounding area, but it did not pick anything up. Nothing at all. "No," she whispered. "I picked the only one."

Doom descended on the room. Neither of them moved. Then, slowly, Padme turned to face her friend---and knowing sorrow was upon his face. He smiled slightly.

"Well then, we know what you have to do."

"No, I don't," Padme felt confused.

"Inject yourself, Padme," he murmured, swallowing only slightly. "Save yourself and those babies."

Padme was shot through with wrenching denial and tears sprang to her eyes.

"No," she rasped. "There...There has to be some other way."

Obi-Wan lie back down on his pillow, but still looked at her.

"There isn't," he said firmly, but his voice was hollow. "Do it Padme. That's an order." His brow creased and his eyes closed. "But I would prefer it...if you would give me some sedative and some pain killer...could you please?"

Padme covered her face with both of her hands, unable to conquer her fear this time. She then shakily lowered her hands, got up from her seat and knelt down beside him. He turned to her and gave her that same smile that she had seen first upon her Naboo escape cruiser, but this time it was filled with regret, sadness, and deep affection.

"Don't worry about me," Obi-Wan assured her. "A Jedi...a Jedi is prepared for death his entire life. _You _need to live."

He was dying. She could tell that by just looking into his eyes. She could not say anything. She could only weep and struggle against her terror. He reached down and gripped her hand with his remaining strength.

"Breathe, Padme," he murmured. "Breathe...and do what you have to do."

Shaken, Padme rose up, moved to the cabinet and got out more sedative and pain killer. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as she administered these to him, and soon he was breathing steadily, completely asleep and without pain.

_How brave he is._ She thought.---and then everything within her completely collapsed. Never before had she realized how essential Obi-Wan was to her. He was her haven, her protection, her teacher---her greatest friend in the galaxy. And now, without hardly a moment's hesitation, he was giving up his life for hers. Just like that.

_She paced, paced, paced. She paced outside on the landing platform, she paced within her living room---she paced within sight of the burning Jedi Temple. She now knew where Anakin was. He was heading to Mustafar. There had been some sort of Jedi rebellion...or so Anakin said. She had also been listening to the newscast, and apparently all Jedi had been declared enemies of the Republic. They were being systematically slaughtered at the command of the Supreme Chancellor. _

_Anakin had not been killed because he had not "betrayed" the Republic. He had come to see her a while ago, telling her that everything was going to be all right, that he and the Chancellor had everything under control, but he did not know about Obi-Wan. He did not know if he had been executed as well._

_Darkness followed Padme as she paced. She did not know her husband anymore. Storm clouds swirled behind his eyes. Lightning was in his sharp movements. Violence was in his hands. She could feel it. But she would not think about that more deeply. Not when she was terrified of what that might lead to---and not when she was so desperately worried about Obi-Wan. _

_Once, she tried to lie down on her bed and rest, though it was mid afternoon, for she had taken no sleep the past night. It did not work, and she was into her first half hour of staring at the ceiling when she heard Threepio say:_

"_She's resting in her chambers, sir." _

"_Thank you," _

_Padme jolted upright. She knew that voice! She knew those footsteps, too..._

_She raced out of her bedroom to see Obi-Wan striding toward her, battered and torn...but _alive! _He was alive!_

"_Obi-Wan!" she cried, even before she was aware of it. _

"_Oh, Padme! You're all right!" he said at the same time she had spoken, and leaped over her three stairs and they embraced. He kissed her on both cheeks, with the swiftness of great relief. _

"_I thought you were dead..." she gasped into his chest. "All of this I can bear...all of it...but if you had died too..."_

Padme's vision cleared and she found herself completely calm, breathing steadily, staring down at Obi-Wan. Slowly, she moved closer to him, smoothed a lock of hair away from his eyes, then bent and kissed him softly on the forehead. Smiling gently, she turned away from him and began doing what she had to do.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. It was simple. The light did not hurt his eyes, pain did not lance through his head, and cramps did not slice through his abdomen. He took a deep breath. Surprisingly, that was not hard. He lifted a hand to study it. It looked normal in the bright artificial light. He felt his forehead. There was no sweat to be found, and his temperature was comfortable. He was fine. He had healed.

"No," he hissed, and sat up quickly. Padme was leaning back against the bed, pale as death, two empty injection needles lying in her lap.

"NO!" Obi-Wan threw himself off of the bed and grabbed her. She gasped, lifted her head and opened her eyes. Obi-Wan's sudden relief was instantly quelled as he saw the sweat running down her face. Shockingly, Padme's eyes were clear, and she was completely calm. She smiled at him and reached up to touch his arm.

"Obi-Wan," she whispered.

"Padme," he said in a rush. "Padme, what did...what...?"

She stretched out a hand and, without hesitation, pressed it against his face. She felt so weak! Her life force was ebbing...

"Oh, Obi-Wan Kenobi..." her eyes sparkled at him, and captured all of his attention. "My greatest, dearest friend...how could you ever think that I could let you die?"

Obi-Wan began to weep. Began to weep with painful choking but trying to restrain himself.

"But your babies...your babies—"

"My babies will be fine," she told him. "I gave them the last part of the injection."

"Then...Then you..." Obi-Wan could not finish. It hurt too badly. She nodded, her soft, sad smile remaining steady.

"I know," she acknowledged. She laughed softly and looked deeply, knowingly and pointedly into his soul. "But if anything were to happen to _you_...who would be there in their darkest hours to tell my children not to be afraid?"

Obi-Wan looked at her, her eyes trusting and certain...and swept her into his arms. She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck and he buried his face in her shoulder. He could not hold her trembling body more tightly, but he tried. He dug his fingers gently into her hair and pressed her against him, unwilling to let go, unwilling to let this happen. He wept into her hair and pressed his face against the side of her head. He could feel her pregnant belly press against him, much as he had all those months ago, and his panic increased. These babies needed their mother. They _needed _her.

"Padme," he backed up slightly, taking her face in his hands. "Padme, listen to me. I'm going to get you to a hospital. I'll take you to Bail Organa's ship. You'll...You'll be all right."

"We're in hyperspace now, Obi-Wan," she told him. "We're already on our way there."

Slowly, Obi-Wan nodded.

"All right. Then I'm not moving until we come out of hyperspace." He wrapped her back up in his arms, almost wishing that he could sustain her fast-failing life force with just his will...and kept repeating to her what Qui-Gon had taught him about fear---though in truth, he was actually trying to remind himself. However, for once in his life, it was to no avail.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Padme Naberrie Skywalker died aboard Senator Bail Organa's ship. The doctors did blood tests, but found nothing wrong. None of them had ever heard of _infillium_ poisoning, and thus had no antidote on board.

Obi-Wan had held Padme's hand as they induced her labor and she gave birth to twins, whom she named Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan soothed her with the Force as much as he could, caressing her fevered face with his fingertips and telling her everything was going to be all right...but he knew it would not be. Even through the haze of his tears, he could read the monitors. She was dying, now. She was dying, when it should have been him.

She stopped breathing when Obi-Wan still held Luke in his arms. When she did, the babies screamed violently. Obi-Wan's heart screamed with them. Two nurses entered and relieved him of the burden of the children for the moment, then everyone left. Everything was silent. Obi-Wan swallowed as he gazed down upon her motionless form, remembering what Padme had said about his telling her children not to be afraid.

She had probably never known it, but Obi-Wan had gone to Padme when _he _was most afraid. He had needed _her _to calm his fears, because she would cause him to bring up Qui-Gon's old lesson, and as long as there was Qui-Gon's lesson and Padme to give it to, everything would be all right.

A hot tear spilled down his cheek as he gazed at her.

"I don't suppose you thought about this..." he whispered. "But if something happened to _you_...who would help _me _not to be afraid?"

His heart shattered, Obi-Wan leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, just as he had when he had been so relieved she was alive.

"Goodbye...Padme Naberrie," he murmured. Swallowing hard and giving her one last look, he left the room and strode down the hall to try and find Master Yoda---for now it appeared that the answers to Obi-Wan's bewildering questions that he had thought up in the dark Naboo cruiser would never come---or rather, they would remain forever unsaid.

**THE END**


End file.
